Lot 128
Native American, Northwestern United States, Northern California, likely Miwok or Yana peoples, ca. 19th to early 20th century CE. A rare collection of 18 arrows including wood shafts and obsidian points. The wooden shaft is incredibly light weight and hollow, likely a type of river cane- the surface polished. The foreshaft is attached to the main shaft with sinew cords and adhesive and made from a different type of wood- slightly denser but still lightweight about 7 inches in length (17.8 cm), the obsidian blade is hafted to this tip with sinew. The projectile points are each flaked with notches and downward pointed fins using stone or antler tools. The opposite of the shaft has a notch and sinew wrappings that likely once held feathers and painted markings. Arrows complete with their wooden shafts are scarce, and this collection is well preserved! Size of each (all are relatively similar): 28" L x 0.5" W (71.1 cm x 1.3 cm); (stone blade): 1.25" L x 0.5" W (3.2 cm x 1.3 cm)
The wooden shafts were straightened by heating the areas that required bending, then smoothed and polished with abrasive sand or plant material such as scouring horsetail rushes. When a foreshaft was used, the pitch adhesive would soften and loosen with the heat of the animals body temperature, remaining lodged inside if the main shaft broke. Sharpened wooden blades were common but obsidian or flint were often used to bring down larger game, and the Miwok's obsidian was carried down from a mountain in burden baskets. It has been thought that the obsidian or flint tips were poisoned using rattlesnakes, but whether this was effective enough to go through the trouble of securing the venom is debatable!
For a similar example of arrows please see the Hearst Museum of Anthropology website, accession numbers: 477 and 477I.
Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s
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#170440
- Condition: Three shafts are missing their stone tips completely, and 1 has the stone fins intact but missing blade. The rest of the arrows have stone blades, all are slightly loose with nicks and chips. Missing feathers on shafts. Blue pigment remains on opposite end of wood shaft and cords. Some fraying and losses to sinew cords.
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